[UK-CONTEST] 144 MHz Trophy - lack of activity

[Rob Hall]

How many of us think, "Wow, I've got a full duplex microwave transceiver in
my hand", when we ring our SO on the milk situation at home via GiffGaff, O2
or Virgin?

I still wonder at it all (which is why I am a ham) and there are youngsters
out there who still have that sense of ooooohhhhhhhhh!

Vive le school enrichment programme and STELLAR!

Let's encourage development and the future, continue launching satellites,
developing forward error correction and bringing the right candidates
forward for the Royal Signals with all you dit dah did it stuff and all will
be well. Moreover, encourage inter-family communication because, if you
can't get it right there, you are stuffed otherwise!

Rob M0RBY


-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of G0JKZ
Sent: 09 September 2011 20:47
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] 144 MHz Trophy - lack of activity

Sure things were declining before the changes.

 You say why force people to do something they didn't want to do... I was
forced to use vhf/uhf until I took a morse test. I was forced to do it. I
never wanted to do morse and the minute I passed the test the key went in
the bin. They only reason I have a key in my shack is to switch to cw mode
to tune the ATU and linear.

To maintain the interest, I would have suggested something like the American
model, limited hf access from test pass then expanding the frequency bands
with each grade. I certainly wouldn't suggest anything 'like wot we had to
do' and say 50mhz up for novice but maybe 40m and 10m and everything from
50mhz up for novice, intermediate 80m, 30m and 20m  as well and advanced
everything.

The biggest problem is the hobby itself. It isn't a hobby that attracts the
young like it used to. In this day and age of appliances and instant
gratification people want things to work as soon as the button is pressed,
none of this experimentation, learning or trial and error. Again, saying
that, I am secretary of a club where very few people who have licences
actually operate, either from home or even less, from the club station...
Sometimes I have thought of proposing we sell the club radios seeing as they
get used do rarely...

George
G0JKZ

> -----Original Message-----
> From: dave [mailto:daveg3tbk at googlemail.com]
> Sent: 09 September 2011 12:52
> To: uk-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: [UK-CONTEST] 144 MHz Trophy - lack of activity
> 
> My view is that the decline in VHF/UHF Activity was evident long before
the
> changes to the Licensing system.
> 
> At least the changes have helped to avoid a similar collapse of UK
activity on
> HF and should not be blamed for the situation on VHF.
> 
> As for Roger's proposal, 1KW every where for full License, dream on!
> 
> Some of the 2m proponent's comments suggest forcing people to use VHFor
> nothing at all - that is a sure way to ensure the demise of Amateur Radio
in
> the UK. We saw with the Novice License that the majority were never
> renewed, people soon tire of only talking to their neighbour on 70 cms.
> 
> Why force people to do something they don't want to do? We have a choice,
> and very clearly the majority prefer HF.
> 
> As for the Contests, the majority of us do not live in Kent or Essex, any
> scoring system which gives the rest of the UK a chance is to be welcomed.
It
> is significant that the only opposition to recent changes comes from the
lucky
> stations on the East Coast who have found their traditional advantage
> reduced.
> 
> Don't think I am anti -VHF/UHF/SHF - years ago (~40) I spent my summers
> working DX on those bands and setting up big /P stations for contests. I
> became bored with hearing only EU beacons when the bands were wide
> open, but nobody QRV for a QSO, and in contests not being in a Group
> prepared to travel long distances - in any cases most good sites were
already
> spoken for or unavailable due to commercial activities.
> 
> I wish we could go back to those halcyon days - but trying to do it by
> restrictive licensing is not the way. VHF must be made more appealing if
> activity is to grow again. Wish I knew how!
> 
> 73 Dave G3TBK
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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